St Mary’s is a VoluntaryAidedJuniorSchool in the Archdiocese of Southwark.It was opened to serve the Catholic
community, in particular, the children of practising Catholic families living
in the parishes of Holy Cross, Carshalton, Our Lady of the Rosary, Sutton, St
Margaret’s, Carshalton Beeches, and Holy Family, Sutton Green.

A substantial amount of funding for the upkeep
of the school is donated by regular churchgoers in these parishes through
their regular weekly contributions at Mass. The
Catholic community support the school because they value a distinctive
Catholic Education for their children.For the remainder of this policy, the word Catholic refers to the
Catholic faith.

Parents elect to apply for this school in order
to ensure that the Catholic values and way of life are passed on to their
children at home, in the parish and at school.

The Governors, having consulted with the London
Borough of Sutton Education Authority, intend to admit 66 children per year.

Application for places at this school

Parents must
complete their home local authority’s Common Application Form and return
it to their home local authority by 15th January 2014.This application form
will be available from September 2013. If you wish to apply for a place at
this school you must list it as
one of your preferences on the application form.

Before the Governors can consider the allocation
of places, the application process has to be complete.

1.A St Mary’s Catholic Junior School Supplementary application form should also
be completed by parents and returned to school by 15th January.

2.Proof of residence, e.g a copy of a utility bill or council tax statement
from within the last 3 months

3.A copy of the child’s Baptismal
Certificate must be submitted with the application form. A copy of your
child’s shorter Birth Certificate must be submitted by successful applicants
after offers are made.

4.If you are applying on the
basis of your faith the application should be supported by a Priest’s
reference.If you have recently moved
into the area, then we need a reference from your previous Parish Priest.

Admission Criteria

Governors will allocate places as follows:

1.Looked After Catholic Children or Looked
After Children in the care of Catholic families.

2.Baptised Catholic children of committed Catholic parents, as
verified by a reference from their Parish Priest where they regularly
worship, who currently attend St Mary’s Infants’ School.

3.Baptised Catholic children who have a brother or sister in St
Mary’s Infant’s or JuniorSchools at the time of admission.( *See further information, siblings)

4.Baptised Catholic children
who have medical, social or pastoral grounds which make the school
particularly suitable for the child in question. (This applies to the child or child’s parents only) Strong and
relevant evidence must be provided by an appropriate authority such as a
medical practitioner, social worker or priest. Catholic refugees and asylum
seekers will also be considered under this category.

5.Baptised Catholic children of committed Catholic parentsliving within the parishes of Holy
Cross, Carshalton: Our Lady of the Rosary, Sutton: St Margaret of Scotland, Carshalton Beeches: Holy Family, Sutton Green. Applications
will be ranked in the order shown on the Supplementary Form in the section of
the Priest’s reference. Highest priority to those who attend Mass either
every Saturday (evening Vigil Mass) or Sunday, secondly to those who attend
Mass at least once or twice a month, thirdly to those who attend on occasions.

6.Baptised children of committed Catholic parents who do not live
within the four parishes of Holy Cross, Carshalton: Our Lady of the Rosary,
Sutton: St Margaret of Scotland, Carshalton Beeches: Holy Family, Sutton Green. Applications
will be ranked in the order shown on the Supplementary Form in the section of
the Priest’s reference. Highest priority to those who attend Mass either
every Saturday (evening Vigil Mass) or Sunday, secondly to those who attend
Mass at least once or twice a month, thirdly to those who attend on occasions.

7.Children baptised in the Catholic faith whose parents may not be
practising at the time of admission.

8.Other ‘Looked after Children’.

9.Other children who have a brother or
sister at St. Mary’s Catholic Infant’s or JuniorSchools at the time of admission. (see
further information, siblings)

10.Baptised Christians who are practising members of other Christian
denominations verified by their minister.

11.Children of other faiths will be considered by the Governors, who
will take into account a statement of religious practice produced by the
parents.

12.Any other children

Over Subscription

The following order of priorities will be
applied when applications within any of the above categories exceed the
places available and it is necessary to decide between applications.

a)Medical or Social grounds which make the
school particularly suitable for the child in question.These would require verification by an
appropriate authority such as a medical practitioner or social worker.

b)Distance from home to school.This will be measured in a straight line from home to the main front
door of the school.

Further Information

Sibling* refers to brother or
sister, half brother or sister, adopted brother or sister, step brother or
sister, or the child of the parent/carer’s partner, and in every case, who is
living as part of the same family unit at the same address, Monday to Friday.
Siblings in Year 6 at the time of an application to start the school will not
qualify.

The
child’s home address excludes any business, relative’s or childminder’s
address, and must be the applicant’s normal place of residence. If there is a
genuine equal share custody arrangement between the two parents, the address
that will be used will be the address of the parent who is claiming Child
Benefit for the child. Any offer of a place under this criterion is
conditional on the child being resident at the address provided, at the
closing date for application. The
address to be used for waiting lists, after the initial allocation will be
the child’s current address.

Maps
showing the parish boundaries are available from the School Office.

In
the event of a tie-break distance is measured by Sutton Local Authority’s
computer mapping system.

Mid
–Term Admissions

Parents must complete the application form
for their Local Authority. In order to be considered fully for the school,
parents should also complete the school Supplementary Form which should be
accompanied by the Baptismal Certificate. If a vacancy arises, applicants
will be considered in accordance with the school’s Admission Criteria. Any
offer of a place will be sent by the parent’s home Local authority. The
shorter birth certificate will be requested after an offer has been made.

Waiting List

The Governors will automatically
place the names of all unsuccessful candidates and late applications on to a
waiting list maintained by the school. When a place becomes available,
governors will rank those on the list operating the same Admissions Criteria
as above and a place will be offered to the person at the top of the list. No
consideration is given to the length of time the child has been on the list.
Waiting lists will be reviewed at the end of each school; year and parents
will be asked if they wish to remain on the list.

PROCEDURES

ST MARY’S INFANTSSCHOOL

Separate application must be made for a JuniorSchool place. Application for a place in St Mary’s JuniorSchool follows the LA application procedures as above in addition to
completing and returning to the school a Supplementary Form obtained from St
Mary’s JuniorSchool.

OTHER APPLICANTS

Applicants for admission to St Mary’s JuniorSchool who do not attend St Mary’s Infants’ School may apply by
following the stated LA application procedures.

All applications for the September intake will
be considered during the previous March and applications must be made by 15th January in the
year of admission.

APPEALS

Parents have the right to appeal against any
refusal by the Governors to admit their child. Appeals should be directed to
an Appeals Panel, established within the terms of the Schools Standards and
Framework Act 1998. Details of the appeals procedure can be obtained from the
Clerk to the Governors at the school.